Critical Exercise
Clients come to me with all kinds of goals; anything from preparing for an event to preparing for a joint replacement. My common goal for every one of them is to help improve the dialogue he or she has with him or herself. In coaching sessions, I use demonstration (“I’ll do it, then you do it”), visualization (“Start the lawnmower”), and guided breathing to help my clients be more in tune with their movements and sensations. Even more important than the work we do on talking to your body is the work on talking to yourself.
Self-assessment should not be a club you use to beat yourself over the head. Yes, the person who looks back at you in the mirror has flaws, makes errors, and needs improvement. But those smile lines are evidence of a lifetime of laughter. Ladies, those stretch marks remind you that your body was once the vessel for a precious new life. The waistline that you wish was smaller is an opportunity that awaits you to nurture your body with nature’s artwork of colorful food rather than settle for something from a drive-thru bag or a dehydrated mail-order.
I truly believe, as Paull David Tripp writes, that “He is the ultimate craftsman, and we are His clay.” Who we are and how we are is part of God’s process. Shift to a perspective of gratitude for the body that carries you through life. Focus your attention on positive care and dedication to progress rather than self-degradation and punitive consequences. These are the most important exercises you can master.